Description

The monument consists of a chambered cairn, a prehistoric burial place. It has been called "The Giant's Grave". The cairn is of the Shetland "heel-shaped" type, with a crescentic plan, the concave portion of which is built of larger stones and forms a facade.

It is set on the side of a SE-sloping hill. The edge of the cairn is formed of large boulders, and most of the smaller material which formed the body of the cairn has been removed. In the centre of the facade, which faces SE, are some larger boulders which probably formed the entrance passage to a chamber, but this portion has been disturbed.

The cairn measures 16m across the facade by 8m from front to back. The area to be scheduled is a square of side 30m, aligned NE-SW, to include the cairn and an area around it in which evidence relating to its construction and use may survive, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as a prehistoric burial place which, although partly disturbed, retains the potential to provide information about prehistoric ritual and funerary practices. Old ground surfaces, sealed beneath the cairn, may provide important information about contemporary environmental conditions and land-use.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as HU 27 NE 3.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland